


With my own eyes (Ti Be’sur'haaise)

by Apprendere



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cinematic Parallels, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Din and Grogu will meet again, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Force Telepathy (Star Wars), Gen, I think fluff applies?, ManDadlorian, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), POV Din Djarin, POV Luke Skywalker, Resol'nare (Star Wars), S02 E08 Chapter 16: The Rescue, no beta we die like stormtroopers, though I'm not quite sure if I used enough mando'a to justify the tag, use your words luke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28665282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apprendere/pseuds/Apprendere
Summary: Luke came to save the child, not see them relive Luke's last memory of his father.Aka: Luke sees a reflection of his own life and decides ihe can make things go better for this father and son.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Luke Skywalker
Comments: 18
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Full Mando’a title: Ni Copaani Haa’taylir Gar ti Be'sur'haaise
> 
> Hello, I had to write this because I haven't seen this parallel pointed out and it really twisted the dagger of Din letting Grogu go and so obviously I must inflict the same on others. 
> 
> Luke POV and the parallel between last sight of a father and removing the helmet and face toUCHING and aaaauughhhh i am full of feelings!!! Also canon divergence because I want to.
> 
> Force telepathy/speech in italics.

The child called. A question, who could help the child and its mandalorian? The child needed to learn, the mandalorian wanted to keep the child safe. The child wanted its mandalorian safe, but the child would be hunted. The child wanted to learn, to be safe, to keep the mandalorian safe. 

Luke heard. Luke knew what it was to have your family taken away, to find and lose a parent. Luke answered. He assured the child he would find and teach it. He would make a safe place and teach this child and others like it, who used the force.

Luke answered, and though the call faded, the connection remained.

Luke followed as the force tugged his connection, a bond still forming, with the child. Urgency mounted as sharp spikes of fear and anger burned in the child, as the child forced those feelings out onto the purple who held it. 

The connection waxes as Luke nears the child. He drops out of hyperspace and searches for the child's exact location. No planets nearby so it must be on a ship.

The child's fear breaks at the same time his X-wing detects the ships. A post imperial cruiser, some ties, and a strangely familiar small fighter fleeing the area. The child's parent has also come to the rescue.

Luke relaxes as the child rejoices. Luke sees the jetting figures converge on the ship. Luke pushes the X-wing a little harder.

Secondhand fear runs down his back as the child realizes they are still under threat.

Luke takes a moment to center himself, remembers old Ben's words. He uses the force and makes an entrance. The force flows with him as he flows through the droid troopers. The force ripples quietly as he enters the room and sees the child's mandalorian, feels the child protected behind them.

_ "Hello little one, I am Luke Skywalker. You asked for a Jedi to teach you." _

"Are you a Jedi?" The mandalorian asks.

"I am." Luke turns to the child. The child who is apparently one of Yoda's species. Perhaps the force runs strong in them. "Come here little one."

The child's reply through the force is more image than words, more feeling than image.  _ "What about- safety, being held in arms or sling, strength and love, hard armor and gentle hands?" _

_ "Do not worry. I am building a school, a temple, he can visit if-  _ when _ it is safe. And when you are trained and can keep yourself safe, you will go wherever you wish." _

The child burbles as it looks back and forth between Luke and its parent.  _ "But- Inarticulate grief, a previous jedi temple, memories of loss and pain. Not this time?" _

_ "No little one. He took care of you, I'm sure he can take care of himself until you see him again." _

_ "I do not want to leave him alone." _

The parent speaks. "He doesn't want to go." There's a note of desperation in the voice even through the helmet's vocoder.

A memory of uncle Owen wells up, making excuses, keeping Luke close and safe even as Luke yearned for more. Maybe he can help these two bridge that gap he never got the chance to cross.

"He wants your permission."

The child tenses, waiting, watching, trusting. The mandalorian turns to the child and hesitates. Moves to take off the helmet. It trembles in the mandalorian's hands.

Luke's breath catches momentarily. He hardly even sees the man's face, his own memories echoing too loudly. Vader, his own father. Removing the helmet. His father's face. Luke breathes. The room is full of the child's joy and sadness, the mandalorian's bittersweet resignation and love. This moment will occupy a different space in the child's life, not the last time it sees it's father's face. Luke can and will make sure of that. Luke breathes and feels the force settle around him.

The mandalorian stands holding the little one, sharing touch and sight, breath and soul. "Alright bud, it's time to go. Don't be afraid." With one last long look, the mandalorian sets the child down. Tears run down his face as he stands, stiff with longing and regret and love love always love. The force thrums with it, a tandem beat between parent and child.

_ "Your parent is right, you will be together again." _

_ "When?" _

_ "It depends when it's safe." _

_ "Please make it safe soon." _

_ "As soon as I can little one." _

The child pats the mandalorian's leg one last time toddles to Luke.  _ "Grogu, my name." _

Grogu gestures to be picked up, just as implacable as Yoda was teaching Luke.

_ "A holocall, shining helmet and warm voice?" _

Luke smiles.  _ "Of course." _

He looks up at the mandalorian. Still crying, drinking in the sight of Grogu like it's the last chance.

Luke can fix that this time.

Luke will make sure they see each other again.

"What is your comm address?"  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this entire thing because of that one paragraph about Luke's feelings about the face reveal and Vader.
> 
> Despite not appearing in the body of the fic, this is the story that made me actually start learning mando'a instead of passively absorbing it through reading mandalorian centric fics. So.
> 
> Title discussion (!):  
> The Mando’a title is cobbled together based on a day of furious reading and linguistic instinct. Opinions on how to improve it, and mando’a resources/recommendations are welcome. Despite my lack of formal education in it, I am a language and communication nerd and would love to discuss. I was trying to translate the “let me look upon you with my own eyes” that Vader says to Luke right before dying because narrative symMETRY (the words luke hears from his father translated as Din’s thoughts about his son)!!! I don’t think all the actual words or connotations I want are in the mandoa.org dictionary. E.g. I was trying to find a word for eyes and it gives sur’haai but given other usage of those 2 components sur and haa/haai, I think they actually mean the word for eyes has to be the whole thing sur’haai, but that doesn’t quite click because, well, words for such basic pieces of anatomy tend to be simple. The component haa is definitely related to sight or seeing and I could not find satisfactory evidence in the mandoa.org dictionary for what the sur prefix adds or the meaning/source of the taylir suffix in “to see - haa’taylir”. Anyway, i don't know if that feels weird because it's a rough spot in the conlang or because I haven't learned very much mando'a yet. 
> 
> I hope this didn't come across as too disjointed with all the little timeskips and details I glossed over. Idk, concrit is welcome. Though, I rarely edit after posting except for formatting.
> 
> It is possible I may post a followup with Din's POV picking up where this leaves off? No guarantees but feel free to bug me about it.
> 
> P.s. for a moment of hilarity  
> Din and Grogu comm call while he's hitching a ride on the Slave 1, and Han sees Boba in the background and is all dramatic "yOU!!!!1!!!!!!!1!!!" And Boba takes a while to figure out who that even is and then being suspicious back because oh yeah, that's the bounty that led to the sarlacc incident and Din is only now realizing these people have history with each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din POV immediately following end of last chapter.
> 
> He looks up at the mandalorian. Still crying, drinking in the sight of Grogu like it's the last chance.  
> Luke can fix that this time.  
> "What is your comm address? So Grogu can call you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the followup. I nearly posted this a series, but it flows better this way.
> 
> We go from someone with a little distance from the situation to one of the 2 at the heart of the emotional storm. Enjoy! :)

"I- what?" Din's voice is ragged, grief tearing at his throat.

The Jetii hitches the child a little higher and repeats, "Your comm address?" The Jetii's smile is shockingly warm and burns against his heart. "I'm not some kidnapper disappearing into the night with your little one."

He swallows, has no words to give. The Jetii were sorcerers, storied enemies of the mando'ade. Here was a Jetii he expected to teach and protect the child, Grogu, his child. This jedi wasn't taking the child from him. Din was no Jetii, not the same kind as his child. Maybe- A salt stained hope swells in his chest. Maybe the child would still be his, his ad, together in their clan of two.

He never even thought to hope. His mission was to return the child to their kind. He assumed the child would stay there, that the Jetii would only tolerate a mandalorian long enough to receive the child. He assumed the Jetii would take Grogu and keep him.

He assumed.

Din should probably ask before he makes another assumption. 

Din takes a moment, holds his silence like a glass knife until he is sure his voice won't shatter as it strikes his throat, his lips, his tongue. He trips over the words anyway.

"When can- ah- Can I visit?"

"Soon enough. Let interest in the bounty on the child fade."

It's sinking in that he can have this. The child, his child, his ad'ika can learn and be safe, can live, and he doesn't have to lose his ad'ika, his Grogu, for that to happen.

The bubble of hope in his chest burst into a warm certainty, so much stronger and steadier than his earlier desperation to see his ad again. It doesn't hurt to breathe anymore.

Din starts to rattle off his usual code and only gets 3 digits in before remembering the comm and the razor crest are both gone. He hesitates and then gives his personal comm code. The one built into his armor, that only his aliit has ever known. Trusting the jetii with himself is almost easy after trusting the jetii with Grogu. He only hesitates a second, the sequence rough with unfamiliarity on his tongue.

He has to let his ad go for now. But it won't be forever. It won't even be for long. Depending on how quickly he can outfit himself with a ship and supplies again. The Jetii will teach his ad'ika how to control and use its power like a Jetii, and maybe --

Din tips his head down and breathes, feels the phantom sensation of the child reaching up and touching his face still burning into his cheek.

\-- maybe he can teach his foundling as a mando'ade.

Education and armor, self defense and clan, language and leader.

Ba’jur bal beskar’gam,

Ara’nov, aliit,

Mando’a bal Mand’alor —

An vencuyan mhi.

He can help Grogu survive.

His son. His clan. He would raise Grogu as a mandalorian.

Aliit be'tad mhi.

He lets his ad'ika go.

He's not sure what to do now.

All his head and heart ache with longing, but a longing far less bitter than he is used to.

He can think of nothing but his ad.

Grogu will need some highly customized armor. Din should get a start on that. See if his goran reclaimed the beskar and survived Nevarro.

First he has a debt to repay. Fett and Shand went above and beyond their original deal. It's only fair he helps in return. Defend your aliit if needed, and help even if it's not. Fett may not be his aliit, but almost acted like they were. It is the way.

It will be Grogu's way too, to live by the resol'nare.

Din will have to think about that. What the resol'nare means. Especially the sixth. His aliit knew one way, but Fett and Reeves and Katan obviously knew others.

Din helps Fett take Tatooine. Finds a ship. Tracks down the remnants of his aliit. Makes a request of his goran.

It has been nearly a year and even though Grogu comms at least once every couple of weeks the urge to hold and hug and kiss his ad'ika aches in his chest and arms and hands.

He finally hears what he wants from the jetii.

Din takes a breath and holds it until his lungs are bursting with the nervous energy of what he is about to do. He exhales all the anxiety and inputs the coordinates.

He was going to see his ad'ika.

He's looking forward to giving Grogu the mudhorn emblem his goran made, but even more to be able to hold his ad'ika, lean in with a kov'nyn, and say the words that have echoed in his heart since he learned his ad's name.

Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad.

Grogu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:  
> Jetii - Jedi  
> Mando'ade - mandalorians, children of mandalore  
> Ad - child, kid  
> Ad'ika - little child (usually affectionate)  
> Ba’jur bal beskar’gam; Ara’nov, aliit; Mando’a bal Mand’alor —; An vencuyan mhi - education and armor, self defense and clan, language (Mando’a specifically) and leader, all these help us survive. Known as the resol'nare or six actions, sort of the guiding principals of Mandalorian culture. A lot more than fits in a translation note.  
> Aliit - clan, tribe, family  
> Aliit be'tad mhi - our clan of two (2)  
> Goran - armorer  
> Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad - I know your name as my child, an adoption vow.
> 
> Would you believe me if I said I wasn't intending to use any mando'a? It has crawled into my brain and just keeps digging in deeper when I poke at it. Let me know if I missed adding any translations or have grammar issues with my mando'a.
> 
> Also sorry for the mando'a translations being out of order. I tried to add them as I wrote them in but I also jumped around writing on different sections.


End file.
